Tagged: ciardis
Sworn to Defiance by Terah Edun
(Cover picture courtesy of Terah Edun via email.)
Ciardis Weathervane returned to the imperial court of Sandrin to unite her foes. But her efforts hit a stumbling block. The imperial kind. She never thought that before rallying an empire, she’d have to fight the emperor himself.
An imposter sits the throne and the court she turned to for help is in turmoil. Ciardis hasn’t survived assassination attempts, torture and really bad luck to be taken down by her own ruler. So she devises a plan. But first she needs to get Sebastian and Thanar to agree. Each seems to love her in their own way. But neither is listening to her. Pushing them to put aside their differences, in an effort to ward off catastrophe, might be harder than displacing an emperor who would do anything to keep his throne.
Butting heads at court isn’t Ciardis’s only problem. With the princess heir’s threat looming she is forced to travel to the mythical city of Kifar, where it is up to her small group to stop the destruction of the entire city while heading a rebellion that could foment a revolution. It wouldn’t be the first revolution that Algardis has ever known. But with Ciardis Weathervane at its head—it would certainly be the last.
[Full disclosure: I received a free ebook copy of this novel from the author in exchange for an honest review.]
When I realized that this wasn’t the last book in the Courtlight series as I had believed it to be, I’ll admit I got a little nervous. After all, where could the story possibly go from here? It seemed like Terah Edun was wrapping things up already in Sworn to Secrecy, the fourth book. And when there were several pages of backstory right at the beginning I was even more skeptical about this fifth book.
As usual with Terah Edun, my skepticism and anxiousness was for nothing. After the initial info dump things quickly picked up and just wouldn’t let go. I had intended to only read a few chapters before bed but once I got past the exposition (which was important) I couldn’t stop and ended up finishing the book at one in the morning. Yes, the plot was that fast-paced and there were that many awesome twists. But first I’ll start with the thing that surprised me most: the characters.
Once again the characters surprised me. Ciardis is finally demanding respect from others and not caring what they think of her (unless they’re trying to kill her). She’s started to master the commanding air of her mother and is becoming knowledgeable about the intrigues of the Algardis court. And finally, finally she’s made up her mind about where she stands with Sebastien. I won’t tell you which way she decided, but let’s just say that I was both surprised and pleased with her stance until the little complication with Thanar was thrown in. Sebastien too has grown up, even though he’s only sixteen years old. He’s finally starting to take responsibility as the prince heir and is even more determined to save Algardis from the blutgott that’s threatening to destroy their entire world. He’ll do whatever it takes, even journey to a city that’s been sealed off from the rest of the world for 50 years.
Once again Terah Edun took the time to expand on her world-building just a little bit more. We finally learn more about the special connection Ciardis and Sebastien have as well as the rather unfortunate consequences of the Thanar complication coming into play. This is quite literally the most heart-wrenching, complicated and realistic love triangle you are ever going to see. I swear it’s not the typical love triangle, mainly because Ciardis is a woman that finally knows her mind but even she can’t control people like Thanar. I also liked how we finally learn that there may be a way to stop the blutgott but that it’s way more complicated and dangerous than you’d expect.
Basically, I got everything I could have wanted out of this fifth installment in the Courtlight series: romance, character development, a complicated plot and an expanded world. You really can’t ask for more in a series and after that insane cliffhanger I’m so anxious for Sworn to Ascension, book 6.
I give this book 5/5 stars.
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Sworn to Transfer by Terah Edun
(Cover picture courtesy of Terah Edun.)
Companion trainee Ciardis Weathervane has won the friendship of the royal heir and saved his claim to the throne. Yet her interference in the inheritance rights leaves more harm done than good. With the death of the Princess Heir, the Ameles forest – the home of the kith, is dying. The inhabitants of the forest, magic-wielding non-humans, are defiant. They have not forgotten their long struggles nor are they content to watch as the last of their lands perish. As humans begin to die in gruesome deaths, the Emperor dispatches the royal heir to the forests with the solution to the kith concerns.
With enemies closing ranks in Sandrin, Ciardis can little afford to leave the city’s nest of vipers to take on a new task. But she’s given no choice when her loyalty to the crown and courts are called into question.
To keep the Companions’ Guild happy and the favor of the Imperial Court, Ciardis will be tested in frightening new ways, especially when she’s faced with an obstacle that could risk the lives of her friends and the family she never thought she had.
This second novel continues the story of Ciardis Weathervane from Sworn To Raise.
[Full disclosure: I received a free ebook from Terah Edun in exchange for an honest review.]
Some authors never improve, but Terah Edun is not one of them. Instead, in Sworn to Transfer she fixed pretty much everything that was wrong with the last book. The pacing was much better because everything was slowed down to a manageable but interesting speed and the villain wasn’t such a caricature as in Sworn to Raise.
What I liked the most about Sworn to Transfer is how Ciardis’ character has developed over time. You can tell that although she keeps getting in trouble with the Companions’ Guild for breaking protocol, overall she’s far more sure of herself and her powers. At the same time, things are a little more awkward between Ciardis and Sebastien. You can tell they’re starting to develop feelings for each other, but they’re still not sure just how to express them. At least they’re not falling in Insta-Love, but rather their love is growing organically.
What I really liked were the plot twists. The huge jaw-dropping twist at the end was completely unexpected but made sense. In addition to that shocker, there were several little turns of events that kept me reading late into the night. I don’t want to give anything away so let’s just say that every character has their secrets and they aren’t exactly eager to share them with Ciardis, the wild card in the Imperial Court.
If you enjoyed Sworn to Raise you’ll love Sworn to Transfer even more. The extended world-building, the character development and the evenly paced plot make it a huge improvement over the last book. And although there are some moments where the plot drags, when you finish the book you’ll be begging for the next one to come out.
I give this book 4.5/5 stars.
Sworn to Raise by Terah Edun
(Cover picture courtesy of Goodreads.)
Seventeen-year-old Ciardis has grown up in poverty, a cleaner in a small vale on the outskirts of the kingdom. But beneath her kingdom’s seemingly idyllic surface lies a hidden secret. Whispers of an inept crown Prince are growing ever louder—intensified by the five year anniversary of the soulbond initiations.
Amidst scandalous whispers, Ciardis finds herself chosen to train for the Companion’s Guild. She leaves her home and sets off on a personal journey to become a Court Companion. A position she’d never thought possible for a lowly servant to obtain, she must prove that she has the skills to attract a Patron.
But she must master those skills quickly. If the legends are true, only Ciardis can harness the power to raise a Prince in an Imperial Court sworn to bring him down.
[Full disclosure: I received a free ebook from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.]
Sworn to Raise had so much potential. It could have been one of the best books of the year for me, yet it fell flat in some respects. Terah Edun’s fantasy world was absolutely amazing, Ciardis was a pretty good character and the plot was exciting and believable and yet…there was something lacking.
I can’t say it lacked heart, because it really didn’t. But what I think Terah Edun did here was try to cram too much information into only 176 pages. A lot happens in Sworn to Raise in a very short time and it’s exciting, but it’s at the expense of detail. Detail is everything in fantasy because the books take place either in an alternate Earth or a completely different fictional universe. Detail helps us understand the universe, but also get to know the characters and generally find our way around. Sadly, Sworn to Raise did not have enough detail because Terah Edun seemed to shy away from descriptive passages. Too much description is boring, but too little and you get confused. I wasn’t confused all of the time, but there’s still sort of that rushed atmosphere throughout the whole book that I really didn’t appreciate. This book should have been at least 300 pages and even that would be pushing it.
Despite the rushed atmosphere, I did enjoy Sworn to Raise. Ciardis is an interesting character who tries her best to raise herself from her lowly station in life—even if it means joining the Companion’s Guild. While in training, she discovers who she really is and who she wants to be, making a few friends along the way. Her decision at the end of the book wasn’t surprising per se, but it was satisfying because in the beginning Ciardis would have chosen otherwise. Her character arc is fascinating, but a bit rushed because of the insane pace of the plot.
Terah Edun’s fantasy world is fascinating and generally stays away from the tropes you often find in fantasy. There are a couple of tropes, but she put her own twist on them and made the plot pretty unpredictable. Some of the plot twists completely blindsided me—something that doesn’t happen often in fantasy. Yet, the rushed feel just didn’t do it for me. I like a fast plot, but sometimes it’s okay to slow down and let your readers catch their collective breath. Will I be continuing the series, though? Absolutely! Terah Edun has a great premise here and I think her writing will only improve with time.
I give this book 4/5 stars.